Having you recently directed the Spa Department to increase the spa's bottom line revenue? Would you like to have the spa's experience and reminders of the experience continue when your guests leave the spa and your property? The bottom line for spa retail is that it will increase the overall business and the spa's bottom line with careful attention to development, planning and operations. Following are brief points on the art of successful spa retail. READ MORE

Think you know what the 'Lo' in SoLoMo stands for? Think again. Spelled out as Social, Local, Mobile, too often the 'Lo' in SoLoMo is thought of as strictly location-based initiatives. But what about the actual locals living in a hotel's proximity? For hotel brands looking to ultimately attract, engage and retain a much wider audience, locals are ideal "test guests" - proving that if you can't appeal to your "home team" then you're unlikely to win over out-of-town converts. In other words, "local" and location-based marketing aren't simply about performing a search for "hotels in Nashville" or researching "Vietnamese restaurants near New York's Plaza Hotel." The following article examines how hotels are beginning to better engage a traveling subset that recent data shows has largely been overlooked and how hoteliers who find themselves late to the localizing bandwagon can adapt their own tactics accordingly. READ MORE

With analysts suggesting that 50-70% of all hotel bookings start with search, your SEO strategy is on the front line of increasing your revenue, occupancy and ancillary bookings like spa, dining and tours. Follow these 14 detailed points to supercharge your hotel's visibility strategy and see bookings increase from 37-100%. READ MORE

You don't have to be a digital rocket scientist to pick up some extra online bookings. I have outlined 10 easy ways that you can get started at your own property. Things have become so competitive these days when it comes to search engine marketing and social media. In some ways it reminds me of the early days of The Olympics when some countries allowed professionals while Team USA continued to send our best younger players from college. READ MORE

Effectively streamlining the contract negotiating process will allow sales leaders the ability to efficiently maximize time, as well as a chance to earn respect and credibility with their clients. Open communication will foster an understanding for what motivates each party, thus creating a foundation from which both parties can build upon. In the end, the best deal will result when both parties are satisfied with the timely negotiation process and agreed upon contract terms. READ MORE